SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - The Latest on the withdrawal of state National Guard troops from the border with Mexico (all times local):
7:00 p.m.
A spokeswoman for New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is calling an impeachment petition against the governor’s decision to withdraw border troops a sham effort by President Trump supporters mostly outside the state.
Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Nora Sackett said Tuesday that the governor has encountered strong public support within New Mexico for her decision last week to withdraw most of the state’s National Guard troops from the border with Mexico.
The petition seeking Lujan Grisham’s impeachment garnered more than 35,000 signatures by Tuesday afternoon as federal border authorities announced another group of more than 300 migrants had been apprehended at Sunland Park.
Sackett says the “silly” petition is a diversion from Trump’s efforts to build an unpopular border wall. Sacket said the federal government should be focused on filling vacant Border Patrol jobs.
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4:55 p.m.
A Republican leader in the state House of Representatives says New Mexicans are making their voices heard through a petition that seeks to impeach the Democratic governor over her decision to withdraw National Guard troops from the border.
Minority Whip Rod Montoya of Farmington acknowledged Tuesday that the effort likely would not go far since Democrats control the House but that Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and her supporters in the chamber should listen to the concerns of New Mexicans.
He says public safety should come before politics.
The petition had garnered more than 35,000 signatures by Tuesday afternoon as federal border authorities announced another group of more than 300 migrants had been apprehended at Sunland Park. That marked the second large group to be taken into custody at the border in 24 hours.
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12:10 p.m.
The Democratic speaker of the New Mexico House of Representatives says there is no way he would initiate impeachment proceedings against the state’s governor for withdrawing troops from the border with Mexico.
An online petition seeks to impeach Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for treason in withdrawing about 100 New Mexico National Guard troops and has garnered more than 30,000 signatures.
On Tuesday, House Speaker Brian Egolf of Santa Fe said “no way, forget about it” regarding prospects for impeachment proceedings. He holds the authority to initiate House investigations.
Lujan Grisham has challenged President Trump’s description of a security crisis on the border, while leaving about a dozen national guardsmen at the border to address humanitarian needs in a remote corridor for border-crossing immigration.
Impeachment in New Mexico requires a majority vote of all House members. A subsequent Senate trial requires a two-thirds majority to convict.
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11:40 a.m.
An online petition has been launched to impeach the Democratic governor of New Mexico over her decision to withdraw National Guard troops from the border with Mexico.
As of Tuesday, more than 30,000 people had endorsed the online petition that urges a Republican state legislator to charge Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham with treason for aiding illegal entry into the country.
Lujan Grisham has ordered all but a dozen New Mexico National Guard troops to return from the border in a move that challenges President Trump’s description of a security crisis. California Gov. Gavin Newsom also has ordered the withdrawal of most state National Guard troops from the border.
The creator of the impeachment petition against Lujan Grisham identified himself as John Daniel of Ruidoso. He could not immediately be reached.
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